Before the Moon Rises
by x0Robyn0x
Summary: A HP fanfic, beginning on Robyn Cortez's first year at Hogwarts. She meets friends like Remus Lupin and the rest of the Maruaders, and faces incredible challenges, and fights in the war against the rising Lord Voldemort.


**Chapter One – Before the Moon Rises**

Robyn Cortez sat in an old, rattling Volkswagen Beetle, clutching her purse very tightly. Just two days ago she had received a letter by owl revealing Robyn's entire future in the wizarding community. Her mother had almost had a heart attack when her husband finally told the family that he was a wizard, and that he wouldn't be surprised if the rest of children too, like Robyn. Since her wizard father couldn't come with Robyn to buy her new school things, Hogwarts had sent another wizard to escort her through Diagon Alley, a wizarding community full of magical shops, and help her purchase her school supplies. He had come today, a young man fresh out of Hogwarts, but he definitely was not what they were expecting. Mundungus Fletcher was dirty, and his brown robes smelled like smoke and alcohol. He had very bad English, insisted that they called him 'Dung'. Eventually Robyn's mother let him take her to Diagon Alley, which is where our story starts.

_Mundungus Fletcher, must be mental_, she thought. He was driving like a maniac, swerving in and out of traffic at 80 miles per hour on a 50 miles per hour road!

Seeing the look of absolute fear on the pretty brunette's face, Dung turned to Robyn. 'Don't worry; the Muggles don't see us, there's charms everywhere on this baby. Er – besides, it's not much longer,' he added, seeing she was not in the least consoled.

Nor should she be, she thought. Mundungus 'Dung' Fletcher wore huge, baggy clothes that reeked of smoke and alcohol. There were several gold cauldrons in the magically expanded back of the Beetle, and a few items that Mundungus had told her proudly were made of dragon-hide. She had the sneaking suspicion that the items had been stolen, but she didn't voice her thoughts.

Finally, Dung screeched to a stop in front of a very old looking pub. The paint-chipped sign had faded and its peeling gold letters spelled 'The Leaky Cauldron'.

'Famous place, that is. Known all around the world,' Dung informed her.

They got out of the car and entered the Leaky Cauldron. Robyn was amazed. There were wizards, witches and magic everywhere. She watched as the bartender summoned some glasses from the back with a simple wave of his hand, and another wizard cleaned up some spilled liquid with a flick of his wand.

Robyn followed Dung through the pub, and out a large oak door. They stood facing a large brick wall.

'Your first stop should be Gringotts Bank. You can exchange your Muggle money there, in exchange for wizarding gold. Then you can go around to the shops and buy all your new school supplies. When you're done, just come back here, to the Leaky Cauldron, and wait for me. I'll be here at six to pick you up. Alright?' Dung was talking calmly, but didn't quite catch Robyn's eye.

'But I thought you were supposed to accompany me into Diagon Alley and help me get my new school things?' Robyn looked confused.

Dung shifted uncomfortably. 'Yeah… well… would you mind if you did it by yourself? I mean, the people are real friendly, and you look capable of it. Buying your school supplies that is. You see, I have this… er, business opportunity, and its really by chance I came across it… hard to turn down see. So, would you mind?'

Seeing she didn't really have a choice, Robyn said, 'Well, I guess I can figure things out myself Mr. Fletcher.'

'Really? Thanks! And call me Dung, everyone does. So, we'll meet to here at six, ok?' Robyn nodded. 'Ok, now I'll get you into Diagon Alley, then I'd best be off.'

Robyn watched as Dung produced a thick brown wand from his dirty robes, and tapped the brick wall three times. She let out a small gasp as the bricks turned and shifted until it formed a large archway, revealing a bustling crowd and the magical wonders of Diagon Alley. Robyn stared at it in awe.

'Right then, I'll be going now. Gringotts Bank is the big white one, you can't miss it,' Dung took her out of her trance.

'Ok, goodbye Mr. – er, Dung.' Robyn nodded to him nervously, and he left. She turned back to Diagon Alley and suddenly felt very scared. Did he really expect her to go in there alone? Looking back, she realized he was serious, for he wasn't there. She glanced uneasily at the now solid brick archway above her. She suddenly had a horrible idea. Maybe that archway would decide it was time to restore itself to its regular brick wall state and close in on her. And with that terrifying thought, Robyn Cortez literally jumped into Diagon Alley.

Robyn made her way through the distracted crowd, all of whom wearing long, coloured robes or normal clothes wrongly buttoned. She wished she had a dozen more eyes, and her head swiveled around trying to take it all in. She read large, colourful store signs like, 'Quality Quidditch Supplies', 'Dr. Filibuster's Joke Shop', and 'Magical Menagerie'. Finally she made it to the big white building dung had told her about. She admired the bold gold lettering above the iron doors. GRINGOTTS WIZARDING BANK. She received a bad shock when she saw the goblin standing in the doorway, but he bowed her inside, as she walked past him.

There were hundreds of goblins inside the bank. Some were weighing large, glittering jewels, more were guarding large metal doors, and still more were sitting at tills waiting on customers. Robyn shyly walked up to a particularly wrinkly goblin that smelled slightly of old cheese. At first, he didn't even notice that she was there.

'Er – excuse me,' Robyn squeaked.

The goblin looked down at her in surprise. 'Yes?' he asked kindly.

Robyn felt slightly consoled. She had the feeling most goblins weren't very friendly. 'I-I'd like to exchange my money for wizarding money.'

At his nod she took several notes out of her purse. The goblin merely glanced at the large amount of money, and wrote something down on a piece of paper. 'Would you also like to set up an account here at Gringotts?' he asked.

'Oh, yes please.'

The goblin asked her several questions about herself, including her name, address, and information about her parents, including their connections to the wizarding world. Finally he said, 'Well, that is all the information I need. We will take care of setting up a vault for you Miss Cortez. Just so you know, there are twenty-nine knuts to the sickle, and seventeen sickles to the galleon. Knuts are the small copper ones, sickles are silver, and galleons are gold. Now, before you go, would you like to make a deposit first? I assume you still need to purchase your new school supplies.' Robyn nodded.

A few minutes later, Robyn emerged from Gringotts feeling slightly more confident. She wished that her parents, or at least her wizard father, could be there with her but she knew that they wanted her to be more _independent_. Psh, like she wasn't already. She was distracted from her thoughts by a large green sign that said 'Flourish & Blotts'. She guessed it was the bookstore by the rows of books in the windows. Robyn took her school list out of her pocket and smiled slightly at the memory of her mother's reaction to the owl, which had delivered the letter.

'_AHHH! Get that – that _thing_ out of here! Daniel!'_

'May I help you miss?' Robyn's thoughts were once again disrupted. She turned and faced a young, dark salesman who was looking at her quizzically.

'Er, - yes, I need to buy my new school books,' Robyn handed him her school list.

'Ok, I'll be right back,' said the wizard and left to gather her books.

Robyn took this opportunity to look around the shop. She was startled to see that the pictures on the books' covers were moving, but when she glanced around she noticed no one else seemed to think anything was amiss. She took the moving pictures to be a normal thing in the wizarding world.

Robyn wandered over to a section in the store that many school-aged people were crowded around. She noticed broomsticks zooming through the air and several balls soaring wildly around a stadium on the books' covers. She picked one up and read the title, _Quidditch Through the Ages_.

'That's a great book; I've read it about a hundred times. Have you read it before?' a soft male voice came from behind her.

Robyn started slightly and turned to face the speaker. He had warm, hazel eyes, that set off slightly copper tones in his light-brown hair. He had very pale skin, like someone who was often ill. He looked at her with a funny, crooked smile on his face. 'Er, no I haven't,' Robyn said quietly.

He frowned slightly at her jumpiness as he looked at this pretty, quiet girl. She was a plain girl, but showed signs of classical beauty that was sure to grow as she matured. She was thin, had soft pink lips, and splashes of freckles all over her body. Her long brown mane shimmered in the sunlight coming from a nearby window, bringing out the naturally gold sun streaks in her hair. He looked into her startling green eyes and said, 'It's wonderful! It really explains rules and interesting facts about Quidditch.'

'I see,' Robyn replied, trying to act as if she knew what Quidditch was. Needless to say, she failed miserably.

'Excuse me, miss?' The salesman was back. 'I've collected your books for you. Shall I ring them up for you?'

'Yes please.' Robyn replied. She glanced into the kind eyes of the boy beside her and felt a feeling of trust. 'Er, I'd like to buy this one as well.' The boy smiled as she held up _Quidditch Through the Ages_.

'Of course,' the wizard replied, as if he had been expecting the additional purchase.

He rang up the bill and put Robyn's new books in a bag. When the pale faced boy saw _Standard Book of Spells; Grade One _by_ Miranda Goshawk_, a look of comprehension dawned on his face.

As the pair left the shop, the boy said, 'I'm Remus Lupin by the way.'

'Robyn Cortez,' Robyn smiled. 'Nice to meet you.'

'And you,' They shook hands formally. 'Are you a Muggleborn? Like, as your parents, er - not wizards?'

'Well, no. My father is a wizard, but he never told any of us until the day I got my letter.'

'Oh, I see, then you are a half-blood,' Remus explained. 'Anyway, I take it you've never been to Diagon Alley before, and you are buying your school supplies. How about I take you on the grand tour, and help you carry all his stuff,' he gestured to her school list.

'That would be awesome, thanks!' Robyn couldn't hide her glee.

'Do you want to start at one end of the Alley and go down, then the other side? We'll pick up your school supplies on the way,' Remus thought aloud.

'Sure.'

So, Remus showed Robyn all of Diagon Alley, explaining about the stores, and the items they sold. They bought her cauldron, potion ingredients, new quills and parchment. They refrained from going into 'Quality Quidditch Supplies' and 'Dr. Filibuster's Joke Shop' because Remus said he'd never come out of either store. They did however go into Magical Menagerie, as Robyn's father had given her some extra spending money to buy an animal. She picked a multi-coloured tabby with bright green eyes to rival her new owners'. Eventually, the only item she had left to buy was her wand. They wandered into the last store in the Alley.

At first, Robyn thought maybe the shop was closed; it smelled musty, and there wasn't a person in sight. She had just started to ask Remus this, when a ladder suddenly slid across one of the shelves filled with hundreds of wands. A little old man was perched on top of it, but Robyn could tell he wasn't your average old man. He was spry and energetic, even if he was a bit strange.

Mr. Ollivander stepped off the ladder and looked at Robyn through his large, gold spectacles. 'Hello Mr. Lupin! Who is this lovely lady here?'

Robyn flushed as she realized what Mr. Ollivander was implying.

'Oh, we're not like… dating or anything,' Remus said quickly. 'We just met at Flourish & Blotts. This is Robyn Cortez.'

Mr. Ollivander regarded Robyn for a moment then disappeared into the shelves for a few minutes. Remus and Robyn stood in silence. When he returned, he set five boxes on his desk. He carefully unwrapped the first one and handed it to Robyn.

When she didn't do anything, Remus muttered, 'You have to wave it around.'

'Oh!' Robyn said. However, when she flicked her wrist, like the man in the Leaky Cauldron, the lamp sitting on Mr. Ollivanders desk shattered.

Robyn jumped badly; that had been the last thing she expected. Remus tried hard not to laugh as she placed the wand back on the desk. The second one, a short, mahogany wand had similar results, and the dark oak wand singed the top of Mr. Ollivanders' balding head. The fourth wand finally worked for Robyn. When she brandished the long wand, a feeling of warmth and cheerfulness spread through the room, which Robyn thought was a good thing, as Mr. Ollivander seemed a bit annoyed after Robyn had virtually fried his hair.

'Oh, very good!' he clapped. 'Yes, very satisfying. Birch, swishy, eleven inches, and good for charms work. Come here, we'll ring it up.'

A few minutes later, they left the shop, carrying all of Robyn's school stuff.

'Want to go into the Leaky Cauldron?' Remus asked. 'We have an hour until your ride comes.'

'That sounds great,' Robyn said.

Remus led her into the bustling Leaky Cauldron, and to a small table for two. Then he left to go get some drinks.

Robyn was glad to have a few moments to herself, so her head could take a short break. It felt like it was going to burst with tons of new information about the wizarding world. Finally, Remus emerged from the crowd on the dance floor of the pub.

Robyn eyed the foaming, amber liquid he set before her. 'I am under eighteen you know,' she joked.

Remus laughed. 'It's butterbeer! Yes, it does have some alcohol in it, but it's so low an amount, it's impossible to get drunk off of, unless you're a house elf.'

Robyn decided not to ask what a house elf was, because she really wanted to know what Quidditch was. She'd been dying to ask since she bought the book, and had to drag Remus from Quality Quidditch Supplies' window. So, Remus spent the next forty-five minutes explaining the complicated and complex sport of Quidditch. When he was satisfied that Robyn had at least a good idea of what Quidditch was, they sat in a comfortable silence, reviewing the days events. Now that all the excitement was dying down, Robyn felt exhausted.

Sensing this, Remus checked his watch. 'Hey, it's six o' clock. Your ride is probably here.'

Robyn looked surprised. 'Oh, I'd better go then,' she didn't look too happy about it though.

Remus helped her lug all her new supplies outside the Leaky Cauldron where they found Dung parked across the street. Needless to say, he looked very relieved to see Robyn.

''Lo Robyn. Er – you all right?' Dung asked nervously.

'Yeah, I'm great! This is Remus Lupin; he escorted me through Diagon Alley. Remus, meet Mundungus Fletcher, or Dung.' Robyn introduced them. They shook hands, and Dung began putting Robyn's school supplies in the trunk of the little red Beetle.

Robyn turned to Remus. 'Er – thanks Remus. For everything today, you really helped me out.'

'My pleasure,' he replied as he noticed Dung was finishing up. 'So, I'll see you on September 1st, on the Hogwarts Express?'

'Yup!' Robyn said cheerfully. 'Bye Remus,' she said, and got into the car.

'Bye.'

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please review, and feel free to criticize!**


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